


I thought it was okay like this (because I'm the one who's closest to you)

by pyreflyte



Category: Fifth Harmony (Band)
Genre: AU, F/F, fluff fluff fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 19:21:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8813107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyreflyte/pseuds/pyreflyte
Summary: So she climbs onto the back of Lauren’s motorbike without another word. The raven-haired girl tosses her a helmet, and Camila catches it smoothly. In the back of her mind, Camila takes notice of how natural this all is, as if they’d hung out like this before.Or, it's summer and it's hot. Camila has nothing to do, but there's nothing stopping her from a spontaneous visit to the beach with Lauren.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I've been writing nonstop fluff to fill my Camren deprived heart

It’s a feverishly hot day in Miami, and despite having lived directly under the brutal rays of the sun all her life, Camila thinks that the heat is finally getting to her. As she sits on the curb on the road, soaking in the first days of summer— the first days of freedom from the pit of hell known as high school— she frowns, leaning back and looking up into the cloudless sky above.

_Oh, the blue looks like it could go on forever…_

She cocks her head as she thinks, frowning once more as she realizes that she actually doesn’t know what she wants to do. There’s no schoolwork, Sofi is at a friend’s house, her parents are working, Ally is working, and Dinah and Normani have gone on vacation, the only other option being—

The familiar sound of a motorbike coaxes Camila out her thoughts, and she immediately perks up as a figure pulls up right in front of her. The bike comes to a stop, and its rider hops off, pulling off their helmet and grinning at Camila.

“Hey there, Camz,” a raspy voice greets her, and Camila beams back.

“Lo!” Camila can’t stop her smile from widening as Lauren chuckles and runs a hand through her own mussed up raven locks. “I was just thinking about you!”

“Were you now?” Lauren smirks. “Well, it’s your lucky day, ‘cause you were on my mind as well.”

“I’m bored, Lo!” Camila exclaims, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “Seriously, it’s been literally two days into summer break, and I’m bored as hell. It’s like I can’t live without schoolwork or something.”

Lauren shoots a cheeky grin Camila’s way, and the slightly younger girl feels her heat skip a beat.

“Oh, that sounds like quite the problem, Camz.”

“It is!” Camila ignores the way her heartbeat is pulsing in her eardrums and instead stands up, places her hands on Lauren’s shoulders, and shakes the other girl. “I’m not normal anymore, Lauren! There’s no way I’m human! How the hell can I have _nothing_ to do on _summer break?”_

Lauren full on laughs this time. “You’ve always been a special one, Camz. You’re the only one I know who would freak out over having nothing to do.” She pats Camila’s head as the younger girl pouts. “Unlike you, I’m actually embracing the lack of activity, and also unlike you, I actually know what I want to do today.”

“You do?”

“Yup!”

Camila can’t help but giggle at the pride in Lauren’s expression.

“Okay, so lay it on me.”

“I want to go to the beach!” And then that damn smirk is on Lauren’s face again, and Camila outright refuses to acknowledge just how _hot_ she looks. “And you’re coming with me!”

And at that, Camila raises her eyebrows in surprise.

“The beach? Now?”

“Yup, right now, Camz. That’s why I brought my bike. Now get on, we’re going.”

“I don’t even have a swimsuit or anything, Lo.” Camila tugs at her white singlet and short shorts before motioning to Lauren’s lack of appropriate clothing. “You’re literally wearing the same thing as me. And you didn’t prepare before coming to get me?”

“Nope,” Lauren shrugs. “I saw you sitting on the curb, with the heat and all, and the thought kinda just hit me. But yes, we’re still going to the beach. We can just, ya’know, dip our feet in the water and wade around. I just want to hang with you, Camz.”

Camila almost rolls her eyes at the absurdity of the older girl— _almost._ In the end, she doesn’t though, because Lauren’s spontaneity is one of the many reasons why Camila takes such pleasure in the green-eyed girl. It was one of the many differences between her and Lauren— while Camila almost always has a plan, Lauren is more of a “go with the flow” type of person. And although Camila typically likes having every hour of her day planned in advance, she has to admit that Lauren’s sudden decisions are actually kind of refreshing.

So she climbs onto the back of Lauren’s motorbike without another word. The raven-haired girl tosses her a helmet, and Camila catches it smoothly. In the back of her mind, Camila takes notice of how natural this all is, as if they’d hung out like this before.

Under the heat of the late-June sun, Camila sees everything around her pass by in slow motion as she clings to Lauren and the older girl navigates her way through Miami’s streets. The city seems to waver in the heat, and Camila buries her face into Lauren’s back sleepily. Over the wind in their ears, she hears Lauren giggle at the contact, and Camila presses a shy smile into the fabric of Lauren’s singlet.

And to think that she and Lauren hadn’t actually known each other until this past school year.

Because she was already fluent in Spanish, Camila had opted to take AP Spanish during her sophomore year of high school for fun (as well as the college credits). There, she had formally met Lauren Jauregui, a junior upperclassman, as well the most popular girl in school. The older girl had immediately taken a shine to Camila, with the two girls bonding over their Cuban heritage. Camila had initially been rather shy around Lauren, not having been used to the attention, but soon enough, Lauren was introducing Camila, and Camila’s best friend Dinah, to her best friends Normani, another junior, and Ally, a senior. The five girls hit it off right off the bat, and they had been close friends ever since.

Camila can’t deny a sort of attraction to Lauren. She had felt something different for the girl with the emerald eyes ever since they first met and Camila had suddenly forgotten all sense of speaking Spanish. Her sophomore year had been a whirlwind, with Lauren mainly being the cause of it all. One minute, Camila had been walking through the halls of her school alone, and the next, Lauren was bringing chivalry back from the dead and walking Camila to all her classes. Lauren had been sweet and kind and _god,_ how could Camila _not_ fall for that?

“Whatcha thinking about back there, Camz?” Lauren calls over the sound of traffic.

“How’d you know I wasn’t asleep?” Camila shoots back audaciously.

They stop at a traffic light, and Lauren turns over her shoulder to give Camila another one of her brazen smiles.

“You were thinking awfully loud, Camzi.”

Camila _does_ roll her eyes at that, because _of course_ Lauren can tell. What _can’t_ Lauren do?

So instead of coming up with something witty to say in return, Camila shrugs and tells the truth.

“I was just thinking about how surreal this all is. How is my sophomore year over already? You made it go by so fast, Lo. I still remember sitting next to you during that first day of AP Spanish and awkwardly saying hi— _man,_ I was so awkward with you! Now, here I am, sitting on your motorbike after you impulsively picked me up off the side of the road to take me to the beach out of pure boredom.”

They’ve started moving again, but Camila doesn’t have to see Lauren’s face to know that she’s grinning with something nostalgic in those green, ocean eyes of hers.

“We’ve become quite the pair in just one school year, haven’t we, Camz?”

Camila bites her lip anxiously at the amount of affection in Lauren’s tone. She’ll never get tired of Lauren’s special nickname for her.

“Yeah, we have…”

 

Lauren parks her bike at a parking lot a few blocks away from the beach. Camila immediately recognizes the area. She and her family have come to this beach before, and she’s visited with Lauren and the other girls during April vacation. It’s the first time that it’s just the two of them though, and somehow, that makes the experience all the more special.

Now that she really considers it, it’s the first time that Camila’s spent with Lauren alone, not at school or at someone’s house. Her heart races at the mere thought of it.

They’re walking past a boardwalk with some shops when Camila spots some clothes in the window of a store. Some mannequins are sporting flowy, summery dresses with flower patterns on them, and Camila skips a bit ahead of Lauren to gaze at them dreamily.

She’s shaken out of her daze when Lauren appears next to her, placing a soft hand on her arm.

“You like them?” Lauren asks, cocking her head to the side.

Camila blushes and shrugs. “I guess.”

Lauren’s stunning eyes are sparkling as she nudges Camila gently. “You’d look beautiful in one of those dresses, Camz.”

If it was even possible, Camila turns an even darker shade of red, matching the vibrant shade of one of the dresses.

“T-thanks, Lo,” she stutters, and averts her gaze. She thinks that her hopes will get too high if she keeps looking into Lauren’s eyes. She thinks that the amount of _liking_ and _care_ she finds in those green tide pools will haunt her forever.

“Want one? I can get you one.”

Somehow, Camila supposes that she should’ve seen it coming. Lauren’s family is pretty well off, and it’s not the first time that Lauren has offered to buy Camila something leaning towards the expensive side.

“No!” Camila is quick to shake her head. “Like I’d let you buy one of those dresses for me! They’re way too expensive, Lo! If anything, I’d save up for one myself.”

But then Camila’s afraid that she’s offended her friend with her words, so she hastily looks up to see Lauren’s expression, only to find Lauren’s face sporting that same affectionate look that gets Camila’s heart racing. She mentally lets out a sigh of relief with Lauren reaches out to pat Camila on the head gingerly.

“Whatever you say, Camz,” Lauren smiles gently before leaning in slightly.

“I still think you’d look absolutely stunning in one of those dresses, though,” she whispers into Camila’s ear, and the younger girl might as well melt into a puddle on the spot.

Unfortunately, Camila can’t let that happen, so she tows Lauren’s away from the display and urges the older girl to keep walking. Somewhere along the way, Lauren intertwines their fingers, and they’re holding hands, and Camila _really_ didn’t see this coming.

It probably has to do with the pulsing beat of her heart drumming in her ears, but Camila finds that she really, _really_ needs to get her mind off how soft Lauren’s skin is, so her mouth starts moving on its own, and then she’s talking about the pair of sneakers she’s saving up for. Throughout it all, Lauren listens to Camila’s ramblings in apt attention, and this “ignoring-her-feelings-thing” is really getting out of hand (no pun intended.)

As they walk, a bus passes by, and Camila lightly tugs Lauren’s hand so that the older girl isn’t on the edge of the sidewalk, casually shielding her from the wind.

If Lauren notices anything, she doesn’t say it.

 

They sit together at the edge of the breakwater, their toes just brushing the waves. They relax in silence, their bodies pressed against each other comfortably. The air is still hot, but right next to the ocean, with the wind blowing her hair back, Camila feels like she’s being hugged.

Somewhere along the way, Lauren bought them shaved ice, waving off any notion of Camila having to pay her back.

“I didn’t even end up paying for it, Camz,” Lauren argued with a shrug. Camila just furrowed her brow and bit her lip.

Normally, Camila would have been all for free food. Just not this time. This time, Lauren had gotten them free shaved ice because the vendor had _liked_ Lauren, and anyone within a twenty mile radius would have seen it.

He had been a friend of Lauren’s from their high school (Brad, Camila remembers). He had told Lauren about how he was running the cart to get a little extra money, even though he practically already had a football scholarship already in the bag. Camila did nothing but stare disapprovingly at his muscles and overly intense smile. The flirting didn’t help.

(“So what flavor can I get you?” “Um, banana for Camz, and for me… I don’t know.” “Are you a fan of lime?” “I’m definitely not opposed to it.” “So lime it is!” Lauren had giggled. “Why lime?” “Because the green brings out the color of your beautiful eyes, gorgeous.”)

(Camila could’ve thrown up on the spot. But she didn’t, and instead dragged Lauren away as soon as Brad told the green-eyed girl that their shaved ice was on him.)

Camila frowns as she stares out over the water. The encounter with Brad from earlier still haunts her thoughts, and she couldn’t help but start to compare herself to him.

He’s tall and handsome, plays football, and virtually has his entire future laid out for him. He’s in the same grade as Lauren, and they had been together in quite a few classes. Oh, and he was a _boy._ Camila is on the shorter, slimmer side, and plays varsity soccer, but doesn’t know where she is heading just yet. Lauren and Camila had had AP Spanish together, and that’s it.

And does Lauren even _like_ girls? Camila doesn’t know.

For the millionth time that day, Camila is jolted back to reality as a finger jabs at the side of her stomach.

She yelps in shock before shooting a playful glare Lauren’s way.

Lauren only giggles, her smile wide, before controlling her expression and looking at Camila innocently.

Camila rolls her eyes wordlessly, raising an eyebrow. At the pointed look, Lauren loses it, breaking out into laughter and bumping her shoulder with Camila’s in her amusement.

The younger girl joins in Lauren’s laughter, only to pause after a few moments to watch the way Lauren’s eyes form perfect crescent moons with her smile, and to listen to the way Lauren’s laughter sounds like glass bells chiming, ringing clear over the beach.

It brings Camila pride to realize that she could bring such a happy expression to the normally-badass girl’s face, without even having to speak, no less.

 _Take that, Brad,_ Camila thinks to herself triumphantly.

“Has anyone ever told you that you make the most adorable sounds when you’re startled?” Lauren asks through heaving breaths, having finally somewhat calmed herself down. “It’s like you’re kindred spirits with some kind of small animal or something!”

Camila pouts and crosses her arms, but before she can say anything, Lauren laughs again and pokes the younger girl’s puffed up cheeks.

“Aw, don’t be mad, Camz! It’s cute!” Lauren coos, her voice rising in pitch like she’s talking to a baby, and Camila has to stop herself from swooning too much. “You’re like a chipmunk!”

_She’s so adorable._

Instead, Camila bites her bottom lip and shrugs, a look of nonchalance and contentment taking over her features. “Whatever you say, Lolo.”

They’ve eaten all of their shaved ice at this point, and Lauren stands up from their spot before motioning for Camila to hand over her empty container.

“I’ll just throw these away, Camz. You can stay here and wait for me, ‘kay?”

As much as Camila wants to object, it’s Lauren’s sparkling eyes that are stopping her again.

So Camila just smiles in return and hands Lauren the container. “Thanks, Lo. Hurry back, alright? I wanna watch the sunset together!”

And then suddenly that breathless feeling is back when Lauren beams back at her.

And then—

“Anything for you, Camz!”

And then Lauren is hastening over the mounds of sand towards the trashcans at the edge of the beach, and Camila is left alone with her thoughts once more.

It only takes the thirty seconds after Lauren’s departure for Camila to be shocked out her daze for the nth time.

This time, it’s not Lauren who interrupts her.

This time, a volleyball is thrown into the waves in front of her, splashing Camila frivolously as it hits the surface of the water.

Camila blinks, cocking her head at the ball.

_Where did that come from…?_

“Sorry!” A rather familiar voice calls out from somewhere as Camila gingerly picks up the soaking volleyball. “Shoot, I didn’t mean to get you wet, sorry!”

Camila spins around, and to her surprise, Austin Mahone is running up to her, shirtless, with swimming trunks on, and slightly out of breath.

Camila laughs softly, throwing the ball over to him. “It’s no problem, Austin.”

“Oh, Camila!” Austin catches the ball and suddenly brightens as he recognizes the Cuban girl. “I didn’t recognize you for a second! How is your summer break going?”

“Pretty good, how is yours?”

“Great!” Austin grins, and Camila finds herself chuckling.

Austin Mahone goes to Camila’s high school, and is arguably one of the more popular guys in her grade. And while Camila wouldn’t consider herself of the same social status as Austin, the gap in standing didn’t stop him from pining continuously after the girl. He’s a sweet boy, Camila can give him that, but she simply isn’t interested. The whole “male gender” thing kinda turns her off.

“Me, some of the boys, and some other friends are hanging out at Shawn’s beach house tonight,” Austin motions over his shoulder to an incredibly elaborate beach house, and Camila recognizes the figures of Shawn, Keaton, Justin, Richard, Brad (who must’ve gotten off of work at some time earlier), and some girls Camila can’t distinguish.

“We’re gonna be here for the rest of the night, throwing a mini-party,” he continues, and Camila smirks incredulously at the word “mini.” She can only imagine how long that will last— Austin and his friends are well-known for going all out for parties.

“Anyways, wanna come join?”

Camila bites her lip at the invitation. Parties really aren’t her thing, though she supposes that there’s no way Austin would know that. Nevertheless, she really doesn’t want to leave Lauren, but she feels rude for not having a sufficient reason to turn him down.

“Oh, um—“

“What’s this about?”

A raspy voice cuts into the conversation, and a familiar arm snakes it way around Camila’s waist, pulling her in close.

Internally, Camila lets out a small sigh of relief. Lauren had returned. Lauren knows what Camila wants.

“Oh, hey Jauregui,” Austin sends a small smile her way, nodding. “I was just inviting Camila to a little party we’re throwing. You’re welcome to come as well. Brad’s here too.”

And Camila’s frowning again. She had forgotten about Brad. Would Lauren make them go to the party because Brad was there? She didn’t like the way Austin mentioned that one point, as if Brad being present alone was reason enough for Lauren to say yes.

“Oh, is he?”

_Oh, please no…_

“Yeah, he is.” Austin nods again, but his eyes are only trained on Camila. But Camila’s not paying attention to him either. Rather, she’s too busy trying to send telepathic messages via brainwaves over to the raven-haired girl who has a hold over her.

 _Please,_ please, _no…_ _Don’t choose him over me!_

Unexpectedly, Lauren’s eyes narrow at the boy in front of her, and Camila feels herself get pulled in tighter. Without any prior warning, Lauren’s chin suddenly drops onto Camila’s shoulder, and other arm curls around Camila’s hips.

“Sorry,” Lauren says coolly, eying Austin warily. “I don’t think we can go tonight.”

Then Lauren is turning to Camila, and a brief kiss is pressed onto Camila’s cheek.

Camila swears her heart stops.

“Babe,”—it takes a few seconds for Camila to realize that Lauren is addressing _her_ — “We should get going now. The sun’s going to be setting any moment, and I promised your parents I’d get you back before it got too late.”

Camila’s having a bit of trouble comprehending just _what_ is going on around her, but she finds herself nodding along to Laurens words.

“Right,” Camila says subconsciously with a short nod of her own. In a stupor, she turns to Austin, who is awkwardly fiddling with the volleyball in his hands now, and directs a half-assed smile (“half-assed” as in, Camila’s not really paying attention to this guy, because _oh my god, Lauren Jauregui just kissed me.)_ “Sorry.”

“Oh, okay,” Camila can basically see Austin deplete in front of her. “Maybe next time?”

Camila shrugs, ready for this conversation to be over so that she can be alone with Lauren again. “Maybe.”

“We’ll think about it next time, Mahone. C’mon, Camz,” Lauren cuts in, her tone almost impatient, and she drapes an arm over Camila’s shoulders and ushers the shorter girl away from the boy and over towards the pathway off the beach, leaving him standing awkwardly in the sand.

Lauren doesn’t remove her arm. Camila doesn’t mind.

But as soon as they’re out of earshot, Camila gives Lauren a confused look.

The sun is just about to set, and Camila is more lost than ever.

“Lo…”

“Yeah, Camz?”

“You lied to him? I texted my parents earlier and they told me to have fun.”

“Yeah, I know…”

“Is something wrong, Lauren?”

Camila stops walking, pulling Lauren to a stop with her so that she can look up into the older girl’s beautiful ocean green eyes. Camila notes that there seems to be clouds forming in them this time around.

“I, uh,” Lauren lets out a shaky breath, running a hand through her dark locks with her free hand. “I… Yeah, something’s been bothering me a little… And I think I should tell you what it’s about, just… Just not here, okay?” She gestures to the pathway they’re currently standing in the middle of. “I want to take you somewhere special before I let you in.”

“Okay,” Camila exhales, letting herself get lost in Lauren’s eyes for a minute, with Lauren appearing to be doing the same in hers. Camila can’t tell what Lauren sees in her own, mundane brown eyes, but whatever she finds makes the emerald-eyed girl’s face soften, a gentle smile taking place on Lauren’s lips.

“Well, let’s go then.”

 

Camila lets Lauren drag her down an unbeaten path, and they’re winding their way through a bit of foliage. Lauren laces their fingers, and Camila feels warm.

The younger girl tries not to feel too much hope, but between the urgency in Lauren’s walk, the silence during their journey, and the heat in her cheeks, it’s hard for Camila to squash down that little twinge in her gut.

Lauren doesn’t say anything, but her silence speaks enough. Camila easily concludes that whatever Lauren wants to tell her, it’s important.

So Camila questions nothing.

But then suddenly the trees are clearing, and Camila is suddenly face to face with the sky.

Or rather, the reflection of the sky, because she and Lauren are unexpectedly at the edge of the ocean, the red setting sun reflecting off the water and turning the sea a beautiful crimson color. There’s a glare over the marine, and the light is just everywhere.

“Whoa…” Camila breathes out, eyes going wide at the sight. “I’ve lived in Miami for nine years, and I had no idea that this place existed.”

“Not many people do,” Lauren comments, standing shoulder to shoulder with Camila. “It’s special to me. My secret place. I’ve been coming here by myself from the first time my parents let me explore on my own. Every time I’d get invited to a party on the beach, I’d always find some time to sneak away here.”

“You never brought anyone with you?” Camila can’t stop herself from questioning.

“Never?”

“Even… you-know-who?”

“Who? Voldemort?” Lauren jokes, and Camila shoves her playfully. Laughing, Lauren shakes her head, finding it endearing how hesitant Camila is to bring up her ex-boyfriend. “No, I never brought Luis here. Didn’t seem right.”

“So…” Camila trails off, cautious of whether she’s being too forward. “So why am I here?”

Lauren turns her attention away from the breathtaking sunset, setting her sights on the beautiful girl by her side. Slowly, she steadily brings her green eyes up to meet Camila’s.

Taking a deep breath, she finally says, “I… What do you think?”

Camila can’t seem to find the words to answer that.

Seeing Camila’s inability to form coherent sentences, Lauren giggles slightly. She reaches forward, and encouraged by how Camila seems to gravitate closer, cups the younger girl’s cheek, smoothing her thumb over the soft, tanned skin.

“You’ve always been special to me, Camila,” Lauren murmurs purposely, melting into a warm brown gaze. “Always. Ever since we sat next to each other that first day in AP Spanish, and you were a stuttering mess. I’m not blind, Camz, I knew you had a crush.”

Camila bites her lip, trying to tilt her head downwards. “I was that obvious, huh…”

She feels a little foolish. So Lauren had known all along…

But then Lauren is tilting her head back up, forcing her to meet the older girl’s gaze, and the look of pure _affection_ she finds in Lauren’s emerald green, ocean eyes is almost too good to be true. They appear to glimmer and glow under the reddening sky, turning Lauren’s stunning raven hair aflame.

“I wasn’t done, silly,” Lauren chuckles, blushing slightly. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you were so _cute_ , Camz. Again, I’m not blind. I can tell when someone is interested in me. People go out of their way to impress me all the time. You saw that cringe-worthy flirting from Brad earlier. You of all people should know how often I have to listen to that kind of stuff. But with you, it never felt like _just_ flirting, you know? You were so _genuine,_ and you were content with just being my friend. Yet for the first time, _I_ felt like I had something to prove. For some reason, I wanted to go out of my way and impress that beautiful Cuban girl who accidentally ended up sitting next to me in AP Spanish. I gravitated to you, Camz. I don’t think I’ve ever let someone in so fast.”

Camila lets out a peal of silent laughter. “You let Dinah in pretty quick, too.”

“Yeah, but you and Dinah are kind of a package deal,” Lauren says with a smirk and shrug. “I realized that if I wanted to get to know you, I had to bring Dinah in too. In the end, she wasn’t too bad,” she admits jokingly.

“But you and I are different,” Camila concludes. She feels warm all over. “We’ve always been different.”

It feels liberating to say the words out loud.

“Yeah,” Lauren nods, smiling. “We’ve been different from the very beginning. You understand me in ways that even Normani and Ally don’t get. That was something that… that fascinated me.”

And again, Camila doesn’t really know how to respond to that, but she nods in response. Lauren smiles and she removes her hand from Camila’s cheek. The shorter girl frowns at the loss of contact, and decides to press her luck.

Sure, Camila’s been told that she’s pretty skilled in the puppy eyes department, but she decides to take it up a notch this time around.

So she looks up at Lauren through her lashes, putting on her best set of doe eyes, and pouts ever-so-slightly, puffing her cheeks just the right amount.

Now that Camila knows what to look for, she sees Lauren melting down right in front of her. She giggles mentally, happy that she holds such power over the raven-haired girl.

“Can we cuddle?” Camila asks, batting her eyelashes subtly, and there’s absolutely no way that Lauren can refuse that.

“You don’t even have to ask,” Lauren grins, settling them both down in the sand. Camila sits between Lauren’s legs, leaning back and letting her head rest on Lauren’s shoulder. A second later, she blushes as Lauren presses a kiss into the back of her head.

They’re silent for a minute or so, Lauren allowing Camila to collect her thoughts, and when the younger girl is ready, she finally opens her mouth.

“Okay, so I’ve got a few questions, Lo. Can I ask them?”

“Ask away,” Lauren answers honestly, “I’ll tell you everything.”

“So you knew that I liked you from the very beginning?”

“Still hung up on that, huh?” Lauren chuckles, resting her chin on Camila’s shoulder. “Yeah, I did. I think I already went into detail on that, though.”

“I know,” Camila sighs dramatically, inciting another laugh from Lauren. “I was just making sure I heard you correctly before I threw myself into the ocean.”

“Nooooo!” Lauren pouts, hugging Camila tighter. “I just got you! You can’t leave!”

Camila’s face hurts from smiling so wide. “Fine, I’ll stay a bit longer.”

“Oh, thank God.”

“Okay, question two! So that thing with Austin from earlier was…?”

“Me being jealous,” Lauren confesses reluctantly. “I’m typically pretty good with holding it in, I swear. I know that you know, but Austin’s been after you for who-knows-how-long. And he’s in your grade, so he’s known you even longer than I have, so I guess I thought that he might actually have a shot.”

“Well, he’s pretty good looking, I have to say,” Camila teases, and she can practically feel Lauren’s grimace. “But I also have to say that there’s one major, glaring turn-off, and that’s the fact that he identifies as a male.”

“Wait,” Lauren leans around Camila to look at the younger girl in shock. “So that means that you’re—“

“Gay as fuck,” Camila finishes with a grin. “Proud lesbian, babe.”

“Wow,” Lauren says breathlessly, staring at Camila in awe. “I can’t believe I didn’t know that. I mean, I had sort of suspected, but… wow.”

Camila shrugs, “I haven’t really come out publically. Only you, Dinah, and my family know.”

“Well, if it makes you feel better, I’m bi as fuck.” Lauren grins. “You’re the first person outside of my family to know.”

“I had no idea that you liked girls,” Camila admits. “That’s honestly part of the reason why I didn’t try anything. I mean, I know that doesn’t stop some people, but still, I didn’t want to seem rude.”

“No, I’m glad,” Lauren waves her hand dismissively. “Honestly, you’re the reason why I discovered that part of myself. I thought I was straight until I met you, Camz. I came out to my parents on the last day of school.”

Camila beams. “I’m proud of you, Lo.”

“Thanks, Camz,” Lauren smiles before frowning a little and running a hand through her hair again. “I still can’t believe I acted like that with Austin earlier… I thought I was fine with the way we were, at least for the time being. I thought I was okay like this, because I’m the one who’s closest to you. Yeah, I knew I liked you, but I felt like confessing so soon after coming out was going a bit too fast. But then seeing you with Austin, not knowing that you weren’t interested in him… my feelings got the best of me.”

“Hey, don’t feel bad,” Camila nudges Lauren lightly. “I’m glad you told me.”

She leans back into Lauren, looking out at the setting sun. Only the top half was visible over the horizon now.

“For the longest time, I thought I had absolutely no chance with you. So I was fine with just being your friend. I guess I should’ve known that I wouldn’t be satisfied staying like that.” Camila shrugs. “I’m only realizing it now, but it was frustrating. I couldn’t say anything when guys would come over and hit on you. I couldn’t speak up, so I stayed passive. There was… there was this feeling that if I got too close to you, you might disappear.”

“But here we are,” Lauren says. “And I’m still here, and so are you.”

“Yeah,” Camila smiles softly. “We’re both here.”

“I’m glad.”

“Me too, which leads me to my third question.” Camila takes a deep breath. “…What are we?”

“Well,” Lauren’s arms are firm around Camila. “I know I haven’t explicitly said it yet, Camz, but I’m in love with you.”

“And I’m in love with you, too,” Camila adds with a beam.

“Soooooo…” Lauren stalls playfully, and Camila hits her lightheartedly.

Laughing, Lauren cups Camila’s cheek again, turning so that they were looking at each other head on. Her face suddenly serious, Lauren leans in and nudges Camila’s nose with her own.

“Will you, Camila Cabello, be my girlfriend?”

“You don’t even need to ask,” Camila is giggling, her joy uncontainable.

And then they’re both giggling, looking into each other’s eyes with affection and love and even though it’s way too soon to say those fateful three words, the expressions on their faces say it all.

But Lauren _does_ want to say something, so she bites her lip anxiously.

“I want to kiss you,” she concedes in a whisper, and Camila didn’t know that her heart could beat so fast. “I really, _really_ want to kiss you.”

“So what are you waiting for?” Camila asks, and Lauren grins, her smile so bright that it rivals that of the sun.

They don’t go home until the sun rises the following morning.

By the time they leave, the blue sky looks like it goes on forever.

 

 

(Two days later, Lauren and Camila meet up with Normani, Ally, and Dinah, and they decide to test how long it would take for the others to catch on. They almost make it through the whole day undetected, but Lauren gets caught sneaking Camila a kiss, and the girls’ hangout session is extended an entire two hours because Normani and Ally want to hear everything, and Dinah needs to give Lauren the “best friend talk.”)


End file.
